Five Games That Need To Come Out Already

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Last week, I gave you guys a swift punch to the gut by revisiting the cancelled LucasArts game Star Wars 1313. Some of you seemed displeased with this, and rightfully so.

Consider this my official “my bad” for the lack of warning before tugging at your heart strings, but know there was a purpose for my actions. Similar to Pie May and Kiddo of Kill Bill, my reason for showing you such pain was to prepare you for a more shrewd essence of nerd-hurt: the agonizing indefinite wait for some of the most anticipated video games. Some of these games have been confirmed to exist and even have teaser trailers for them. Some of these games as it currently stands don’t exist. But there is one evident common denominator, however, that these games do share: None of them have so much as a hint of an upcoming release date, and it hurts oh so bad.

So in the next several minutes (or however long/short it takes you to read) we’re going to have a look at some of these titles that many people’s loins are still quivering for. Also, for anyone who is waiting for one of these titles, I apologize in advance for the proverbial wood planks that you’re getting ready to drive your fist into by reading this. Let’s do it!

1) Jade Empire 2

Bioware was one of the most successful development establishments of the last generation of gaming. Between Mass Effect and Dragon Age, there really isn’t anything more they need to do to satisfy their gargantuan, loyal fanbase. But if you’re anything like me, you cannot look at the name Bioware without thinking one thing: When the hell is Jade Empire 2 coming out?

There were rumors that a sequel to the action-RPG was set to release on the Xbox 360, but it never happened. Even our very own Jessica Chobot voiced her severe yearning for the series to make a comeback. How could you blame her? The universe of Jade Empire was incredibly immersive and something that felt like it was made to be revisited. But alas, that revisit has yet to come, and until it does, I will be one of the many voices heard around the world nagging Bioware to bring this game back.

2) Shenmue III

I’m still bitter about the Dreamcast and its untimely exit from the gaming scene back in 2001, mainly because, after playing the classic first installment of Shenmue, I was worried that the North American version of the sequel would never see the light of day. The gaming gods did shine down on us, however, by delivering Shenmue II to the Xbox, which only improved upon the first game and left us craving more. Unfortunately, over ten years have passed since then.

If I suggested that Sega drop every project they’re currently working on to bring Shenmue back, would you agree? Don’t get me wrong, I think that the Yakuza series is a lot of fun and it’s been doing well sales-wise here in the U.S., but a new Shenmue game would definitely boost Sega’s cred after a year where we saw them publish Aliens: Colonial Marines and Sonic Lost World (which weren’t the most well received games, you know). Sega, give us Shenmue III and take our money!

3) Agent

All signs point to Agent being released sometime soon, but even with Take-Two interactive registering trademarks for the game earlier this year, it still feels like holding our breath is a deadlier course of action in waiting for this game. The game was announced during PlayStation’s E3 2009 press conference, only to go quiet without a trace, mentioning or any update since then from the Rockstar North camp. It’s almost as if this game disappeared.

I think it’s safe to assume that Rockstar will be bringing back Grand Theft Auto and Red Dead at some point during this generation. You have to wonder if with their expansive number of viable franchises, whether releasing a new I.P. like Agent is high on their list of priorities. Considering they had been working on the game for two years before revealing it back in ’09, it’d be a shame if what they did falls into obscurity.

4) The Last Guardian

PlayStation’s E3 2009 press conference must have been the Bermuda Triangle of new game announcements, as The Last Guardian was another game that was revealed there, only to remain unreleased indefinitely. What makes this one hurt more, however, is the fact that it’s the follow up to Shadow Of The Colossus and was announced alongside an excitement-provoking teaser trailer. Totally not cool, Team Ico!

During E3 2013, Jack Tretton of Sony Computer Entertainment told us that the game is still in development, but its completion and release is currently indefinite. Looks like we’ll have to rely on Ico and Shadow Of The Colossus to hold us over until… Forever. Seriously, I have nightmares of “indefinite” turning into “eternally” for The Last Guardian quite often. Scary thought, right?

5) Half-Life 3

Gah… Could there be a more obvious inclusion on this list? It would suffice to see Valve release any of their stack of unreleased third installments, but the hankering for Half-Life 3 is light years more desirable than the others. Unlike the last couple of games, Half-Life 3 was never announced as an actual game. In fact, the closest this game has come to existing as far as we know is a Half-Life 3 trademark hoax that happened during the fall.

Half-Life 2 is considered by many one of the greatest video games of all time. The series last left off on a high note, which may be why Valve has been content on not taking the series any further. But given its track record, if there’s any game that’s worth waiting for, it’s Half-Life 3. Too bad for us, because as of now, the game is about as real as unicorns, and I’m inclined to argue that you’re far more likely to find a unicorn at this point.

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This list could surely be a lot longer, with honorable mentions going to Fallout 4, Star Wars Battlefront 3, and a new Onimusha title. But it hurts so much to think about these games and why they aren’t being played by us right now that I’d rather leave it at five. Are you guys craving for any of these titles? Did I leave something off of the list that you feel is more worthy? Please, let’s have a chat about it in the comments!

It’s nowhere as near as high profile as any of the games on this list, but a really fun game that I always thought deserved a sequel was Voodoo Vince for the original Xbox. It was a very colorful and fun third person platformer that had an original story and great graphics.

I would love to see crimson skies make a return. I may be alone on this, but that world was made for the latest two generations of consoles, not the xbox. Fleets of airships and squadrons of planes filling the sky. massive multiplayer battles and creating your own factions… c’mon

Dark Age of Camelot 2 – that HAS to happen. Best gosh darn game ever the first one was, one of the biggest MMORPGS of its time and it had a freaking epic PvP (well, RvR) system, yet they insisted on releasing _rubbish_ expansions one after another instead of focusing on a follow-up. Shame..

It’s still possible 1313 could come out, EA have the development rights for Star Wars they could pick it up under their license and continue the project. The actual state of the project (from some accounts) was not as ready for prime time as it was made out to be, that’s ENTIRELY hearsay I have no proof either way but if there’s enough of a demand it could happen. Hey, what about launching a petition campaign to send to EA to move on the project. Disney have already said they’d be willing.